The legendary Ayresome gates that evoke powerful memories of Boro's proud history are back on show to the world.

They now stand by the statues of legends Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick and form the focal point of a series of developments at the Riverside over the summer including an eye-catching Boro Brick Road.

The brick boulevard outside the stadium has been re-laid with bricks sporting the names and messages from 3,000 supporters and 50 former players and managers.

The ancient iron gates that stood for decades at the entrance of Ayresome Park have been painstakingly restored and erected outside the club's new Riverside home.

Fans retain vivid memories of photographs of the padlocked gates when the club went into liquidation during the summer of 1986 - and then pictures of a beaming Steve Gibson in front of the famous red gates when the club was saved.

The gates had been kept in storage since 1995 when the club moved home.

There are also now banners hanging from lamp posts featuring former greats like Brian Clough, Juninho and Tony Mowbray.

Also, the stadium's 29 kiosks and bars have been re-named after famous players including Willie Maddren, Bernie Slaven and Fabrizio Ravanelli, and the concourses have new flat-screen televisions and an improved sound system has been added to the ground.

A scoreboard, clock and information display will be built on the roofs of the North and South stands and further decorating will including large-scale photographs recalling Boro's great games, cup finals, promotions and stars of past and present.

Graham Fordy, Boro's Head of Commercial, said he had hoped that the display systems and concourse pictures would have been ready for the big kick off against Liverpool tomorrow but technical difficulties made it impossible.

He said: "It's been an incredible first ten years at the stadium, with no less than four cup finals, a relegation and promotion, plus two successive European qualifications. Who knows what the next decade will bring?"